Bahrain strips citizenship of top Shiite cleric

Bahrain has revoked the citizenship of the Sunni-ruled kingdom’s top Shiite cleric, accusing him of sowing sectarian divisions, in a move that sparked protests among the majority community. Sheikh Isa Qassim, considered the community’s spiritual leader, abused his position to “serve foreign interests and promote… sectarianism and violence”, the interior ministry said, quoted by the BNA state news agency. Qassim had been a strong proponent of “absolute allegiance to the clergy,” while maintaining continuous contact with “organisations and parties that are enemies of the kingdom,” it charged.